Clean production

Clean production

The most effective way of dealing with hazardous liquid waste is not to generate it in the first place. There are many ways to cut the generation of hazardous waste.

One program is the US state of Massachusetts' Toxics Use Reduction Program. This aims for a 50% reduction in toxic waste (by-product) generation by 1997 (from 1987 levels), based on cutting the use of toxic chemicals. The program is achieving substantial results.

The latest figures available are for three years from 1990 to 1993. During this period, reported chemical changes were:

• a 17% actual reduction and 19% normalised reduction in total use of toxic chemicals;

• a 13% actual reduction and 14% normalised reduction in total by-product generated;

• a 5% actual increase and 3% normalised increase in total amount of toxic chemicals shipped in or as product;

• a 4% actual reduction and 8% normalised reduction in total toxic chemical releases and transfers reported (releases to the environment and transfers to sewer systems decreased, while off-site transfers increased).

Normalised values are to adjust for changes in the amounts of goods produced.

Even monitoring how much toxic chemical is released can promote the reduction of hazardous waste. Industry in the United States is required to report chemical emissions. Reported toxic releases declined by nearly 43% between 1988 and 1993.

From GLW issue 291